TAMPA, Fla. — The community on Davis Islands is supporting a family that's unexpectedly moving in during the holidays.
"John asked to stay for several weeks, and he said he was going through a cancer procedure at Moffitt Cancer Center. He mentioned that he’d be bringing his wife his son and daughter that are middle and high school," Michael Gorecki said.
Gorecki will be hosting them in his AirBnb. He's making them feel welcome and giving them a Christmas surprise.
"I just happened to be putting up a Christmas tree that I had in storage because he was going to be staying here during the holidays," Gorecki said.
But his tree was bare, so he reached out to his community for help. He posted on Nextdoor asking them for ornaments and messages of hope.
"This is an ornament that was on my doorstep in the morning. The ornament she made says, 'Welcome to Davis Islands you're going to love it here! Cancer sucks, but hang on in there don't give up. You'll be able to get through this. There's a light at the end of the tunnel, look for it,'" Gorecki read.
Some ornaments and notes are religious, others are for encouragement. Gorecki says he's gotten flooded with ornaments, food, and even some gifts.
"It's just been an outcry. Not just the decoration of the tree now, but it's a community coming together trying to welcome this family," Gorecki said.
While the messages continue to be dropped off, Michael has one of his own.
"John, I wish you well and we'll all be praying for you in your journey. You're in good hands and you have a lot of supporting people behind you. We know that you're going to be successful, beat this, and be a cancer survivor," Gorecki said.
Michael says you can write a special message for the family too. Any cards can be addressed to John, his wife Tara, daughter Kerrigan, 15, and son Christian. Michael says 'angels' can continue to drop off any donations until Sunday morning at 519 W David Blvd.
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